


Dance All Night

by PJO_Fangirl_13



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, I always had a headcanon that dancing would be "their" thing, they're married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29479431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PJO_Fangirl_13/pseuds/PJO_Fangirl_13
Summary: "Would you like to dance with me?" Annabeth mutters against his lips.Percy pulls away. "I'm always up to dancing with you."Or, the one where Percy's feeling down and Annabeth wants to cheer him up
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, percabeth - Relationship
Kudos: 29





	Dance All Night

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: mental illness, depression
> 
> Based on the song "dance all night" by Nathan Wagner

This is the moment we've been waiting for

A time to go

Leave it on the floor

Dance all night

We're so alive, so alive

Hand in hand with your heart in mine

Take a stand

Leave it all behind

Dance all night

-Nathan Wagner

\------

The ivory curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows are drawn open, revealing dark sky glittered with starts, the flashing lights and skyscrapers of Manhattan looking in. The arc lamp beside the couch is switched on, casting a warm glow throughout the dimly lit living room where Annabeth Jackson is sitting on the grey couch, her bare feet propped on the glass coffee table before her, a book spread open in one hand while a glass of lemon water occupies the other. 

Her grey eyes continue to dance across the smooth pages of the book she's currently flipping through, and her ears are attentive to the hum of the soft music trickling from the speaker set around the room. She silently lifts her book when her husband, Percy Jackson, emerges from the kitchen- where he'd been acquiring himself a can of coke- and lays his head down on her legging clad thigh. 

Setting her own beverage down on the blue coaster laying atop the coffee table, Annabeth uses her now vacant hand to soothingly run her nimble fingers through the soft strands of Percy's black hair. His startling green eyes flutter closed against her touch, and his full lips twitch up in a content smile as he relaxes against her. 

"How are you feeling?" Annabeth whispers softly, bookmarking the page she's on in her book and setting it on the couch cushion beside her. 

"Better," Percy responds a moment later, eyes stilled closed. 

Percy isn't sick, per say. Perhaps mentally, but by no means is he physically ill. He'd had a particularly bad start to his day, beginning previously this morning. At twenty-four years old, they both would think the nightmares of Tartarus would have stopped haunting them by now, but around two-thirty this morning, Percy had fallen victim to yet another horrifying night terror, and Annabeth had been the witness. She had been woken by his anguished screams and she'd spent the remainder of the morning reassuring him none of it was real. He hadn't eaten breakfast, nor had he'd finished dinner last night due to a sickening day at work, and Annabeth had somehow convinced him to stay home with her today to give his mental health a rest. 

Annabeth won't lie and say this doesn't terrify her. She's aware Percy gets into these dark dispositions from time to time (has ever since they'd been teenagers)- moments when all he needs is to sit down and take a break from everything around him, including herself but she refuses to take it personally. Annabeth respects he needs time alone- as does she at times- but she's scared that one day all these hidden emotions swirling inside of him will become too strong for him to handle. So she'll play her part and be there for him, be his reason to stay. 

"Are you lying to me?" she asks as nicely as she can, twisting her body to look down at him. 

He opens his eyes then, the irises a swirling sea green in the form of calm waves and not at all the ranging storm they'd been this morning after he'd relived one of the many horrors of their teenage years. Reaching one of his hands up, Percy brushes his fingertips across her soft cheek and he mimics her smile. "No," Percy says honestly. "I'm okay." 

Annabeth leans down and presses her lips to his in a soft kiss. As Percy kisses her back with just as much love and passion, a particular song travels into her ears and she's hit with a sudden idea. When she has her own off days (which are never as troublesome as his), dancing is always Percy's way of cheering her up, and it's only now occurring to her that she's never tried this tactic with him. 

"Would you like to dance with me?" Annabeth mutters against his lips. 

Percy pulls away. "I'm always up to dancing with you." 

Annabeth bites back a grin as she purposely turns the music up- but not too deafening as to not shake the whole building- before slipping her hands underneath his head so she can get to her feet. After untwisting her white cropped tank top, Annabeth outstretches her hands, and she can't keep the smile off her face when Percy takes them into his own large ones, allowing her to pull him into the large, empty space of their living room. 

"You don't have to if you're not feeling up to it," she reminds him after noticing his expression. 

"No, it's fine. I want to," he assures her, forcing a smile. 

Her eyes soften in sympathy. Annabeth reaches up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek, keeping her lips pressed against his smooth skin for a few seconds longer than necessary. She drops back onto the flats of her feet as they start to sway to the rhythm, and she slides her hands over his brood shoulders and around his neck as Percy circles his around her waist. 

She's known Percy since they'd been twelve years-old, and they've been best friends ever since (not to mention they're now married)- Annabeth can read him like an open book. And as she's staring into his gorgeous green eyes, her heart shatters because she knows he's distant right now- he's not mentally there in the moment, given the dazed look in his eyes. Annabeth wants nothing more than to take that look away. 

Taking a couple tentative steps backwards, Annabeth curls her hands into his as Percy blinks his way back into reality and out of whatever nightmare he's reliving. His green eyes are full of perplexity as he looks at her, hands holding on so tight to hers as if they're his life line- and in a way, they are. Desperately wanting to break this hold these negative emotions have on him, Annabeth raises their joined arms above their heads, hinting she'd like to be twirled. It takes some time, but eventually, he seems to catch onto her request, happily spinning her around before pulling her back against his chest, wrapping their arms around her as they gently rock from side to side. 

Percy backs away, twirling her around so they're facing on another. Chest upon chest, hearts mending into one, breaths mingling, and Annabeth sees the despair in his eyes fading away the longer he looks at her. Suddenly breaking their gaze, Percy buries his face in her curls, fingers digging into her back as he holds her like he never wants to let go. As she wounds her arms around his back, Annabeth knows that as long as he's happy and safe, she never wants to let him go either. 

Beneath her fingertips, his back trembles. For a heart stopping moment, Annabeth fears he's crying and she pulls back enough to see his face, only to be met with the exact opposite. His misty eyes are more alive than they have been in a long time, his cheeks are flushed a rosy red and the dimple on his left cheek is prominent as he laughs. Oh gods, he's laughing. 

Before Annabeth can get a single word out, Percy's lifting their intertwined hands above their heads and twirling her until she's too dizzy to go on, swooping her into his strong arms. She lets out a delighted laugh and wraps her arms and legs around Percy as he spins them around, and neither one of them can contain their joyous laughs from filling the large apartment. 

Annabeth is filled with the blissful sense they're the last two people on earth as they dance, this city lights and honking taxis fading into the background. The untroubled moment had ignited something wonderful between them, causing her heart to become heavy with the overwhelming emotion of pure love, and by the way Percy's gazing at her in this surreal moment, Annabeth doubts he feels anything but the same. 

His hands settles against her partially exposed waist, his touch leaving a fiery trail against her skin and Annabeth shudders from the feeling. She slides her arms across his shoulders, letting them hang there loosely as they sway back and forth, keeping their eyes fixated on each other, not able to look away if they tried. Annabeth can feel the beat of his heart- the heart that's beating for her and everyone else he holds close- as their bodies mold together, and she hopes Percy can feel her own racing heartbeat- a silent I love you.

Annabeth's breath mingles with his from their close proximity, their lips only mere inches apart, and she can only think how easy it would be to lean up and kiss him-

"Annabeth?" Percy murmurs. 

"Yeah?" Annabeth looks up at him trough her eyelashes. 

Percy visible swallows thickly, tightening his already strong hold on her waist (though it's light enough so it doesn't hurt) as he comes up with the right words to say. "I've- I've spend so many years trying to figure out the reason I'm here," Percy admits that the blush across his cheeks spread to his neck, a show of embarrassment, and Annabeth caresses the soft skin of his cheek with the pad of her thumb as a show of comfort. "But then- tonight, you showed me that these are the moments- the moments like these that make life worth it. The things of the past- all the things we've faced and all the things that have been destroyed- the things that keep holding me back... it's all in the past. And it should stay in the past. I need to let go. I'm not going to look back because I've already made my choice." 

A bit shocked by his speech, Annabeth breathlessly asks, "What's your choice?" 

"You," he says sincerely, smiling. "You and the choice to leave it all behind because we're alive- we're so alive, and we're together-" he holds up their hands, staring down at their wedding rings with a small smile and Annabeth can't help but copy it. "-so what else could I possibly need? Love- this sounds so cheesy- but it's the answer for.. almost whatever life brings, and I am so lucky to have you to love. Nothing would mean a thing if I didn't have you to share moments like these. And today- today I'm going to let go, because as long as I have you, I'm okay." 

Annabeth blinks tears away. "Wow, seaweed brain. That was really- wow." 

"Not everyday I leave you speechless, is it?" he smirks. 

"Oh, shut up," she laughs but stands on her tip toes to kiss him nonetheless. Behind her closed eyelids, Annabeth swears she can see the sparks that are ignited between her and Percy in this intimate moment once their lips meet. She leans into Percy who holds her delicately, yet firmly, as he responds passionately to the long awaited kiss that leaves them both breathless when they finally decide to pull away. Annabeth's lost in the mixture of the greens and blues of his eyes as she says, "I love you, Percy, so much. I promise you, I'm here for you and I'll do whatever I can to help you let go of the past." 

Percy leans down and kisses her again. "I love you, more than anything. And thank you." 

"We can get through this-"

"-as long as we're together," Percy finishes, grabbing her hands and twirling her around so her back is pressed against his chest. He trails his lips up the side of her neck lovingly. "So," he says softly into her ear, "what do you say we dance all night?" 

"I think it's a great idea," Annabeth says before they're back to twirling and spinning around their dimly lit living room; the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows drawn back, revealing the city lights and tall skyscrapers viewing in at the two damaged, but in love demigods dancing to their hearts content. 

\------

I've spent so many years

Trying to figure out

The reason I'm here

The reason I doubt

But it's the moments like these

That are most profound

So I raise up my glass and I make some noise

For the things of the past have been destroyed

And I'm not looking back oh I've made my choice

I'm just me it's true

And you're perfectly you.

-Nathan Wagner


End file.
